The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for destroying printed information; and, in particular, relates to a portable apparatus that thermally destroys confidential medical information using microwave or other high energy absorption.
Typically, when a patient visits a physician, the physician writes a prescription or order for the patient. When the pharmacist renews the prescription, the pharmacist locates the pharmaceutical from the pharmacy's inventory that corresponds to the prescription and prepares the pharmaceutical for dispensing to the patient. Often, the pharmaceutical requires a container, such as a pill bottle or other container. Other pharmaceuticals are dispensed in prepackaged or preassembled containers or boxes and the like for dispensing. For those liquid pharmaceuticals that require containers of any nature, the pharmacist dispenses the liquid pharmaceutical to the patient in the appropriate container.
As a part of the dispensing process, the pharmacist prints a label that has relevant confidential information about the written prescription including the patient's name, physician's name, pharmaceutical's name, dosage, and instructions for taking the pharmaceutical. Other information, such as general information about the pharmaceutical and/or the patient, can also be printed on the label for the patient. Once the pharmacist has completed preparing the container, the label is attached to the specifically filled container or to the preassembled package, and provided to the patient.
Documents, such as these prescription labels, financial records and other items, often contain sensitive or confidential information. With passage of ever more stringent privacy obligations, such as patient's rights bills, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) requirements in the U.S., there is a need to control private information to maintain confidentiality, reduce liability exposure, and prevent careless or inadvertent disclosure of private information. In the case of the prescription label on the medicine container, such as a medicament container or preassembled package, it is typically required that a hospital or care facility safeguard medical information when discarding medicine containers.
With increasing concerns relating to information security, prevention of identity theft, and protection of personal privacy, a variety of techniques have been adopted to preserve the confidentiality of printed information. A known method of safeguarding such medical information involves burning the container and/or the label. Burning the container or label, however, has adverse effects such as pollution and equipment operating and maintenance costs. Another safeguard method involves removing the prescription label from the container and then shredding the label. Such a shredding method generally complies with safeguarding requirements, but is burdensome in terms of time and effort. Additionally, portions of the label tend to stick to the container and thereby can expose the unshredded confidential information.
As to patient's home destruction of private information included on pill bottle and the like, prior techniques, such as shredding of the container or the label, have several drawbacks. First, most patients do not have a suitable shredder capable of shredding a container along with the label affixed thereto. However, even if a patient had such a shredder, the shredder would make noise, would be susceptible to jamming, and it can be possible for a determined party to reassemble the shredded information. In the event that the patient attempts to remove the label from the container, portions of the label can tend to adhere to the container leading to frustrated and repeated attempts by the patient to remove the label. Safeguard techniques relying on burning, convection heating, or heating elements are undesirable in home environments due to safety concerns associated with hot surfaces, fumes, and cleanliness issues in having to deal with ash or other debris.